CAIRO: A sensitive probe into the struggles of Egypt’s fishermen in Lake Manzala earned Egyptian journalist Lamia Hassan the CNN MultiChoice African Journalists’ Award last week in Johannesburg.
The second Egyptian to win the prestigious award, 25-year-old Hassan’s submission, “Washed Up,” was chosen from among 1,407 entries from 42 nations across the African continent.
Hassan’s article, published in Business Today magazine, discussed the environmental hazards facing Lake Manzala on the Nile Delta, for which she received the Environment Award.
“Winning such a prestigious award in this critical time in Egypt puts me on the first steps to actually achieve something. The award is just the beginning and from there I’m hoping to do a lot,” says Hassan.
Hassan learned that one of the things the judges were looking for was entries that tell the stories of African people.
“Even though my article fit in the environment category, it has different aspects and stories of fishermen struggling and a lake that was once a main source of fish that adds a lot to Egypt’s economy, is now fading out,” she explained.
The article discussed Lake Manzala, located on the northeastern edge of the Nile Delta, which has historically been host to one of the country’s largest fishing communities. Environmental hazards have taken their toll as the lake has shrunk to a mere 25 percent of its original size, and instead of being replenished with Mediterranean water, it’s being pumped full of sewage.
“[Hassan] covered a fairly technical subject — the environment in simple but attractive language. It is an issue we are seeing in many parts of Africa,” Chair of the judging panel, journalist and media consultant, Joel Kibazo, said.
“Coverage of environmental issues can sometimes be complicated, but in this case the journalist covers it with care and attention to detail, really constructing a story that shows how the damage has been done,” said Kibazo.
From the application process to being presented with the trophy, Hassan says it has been a joyride and a learning experience for her.
With the deadline for the application set on January 27, Hassan had to hand in her entry on Jan. 26 at the CNN office near Tahrir Square. “When everything closed after Jan. 28 we thought our papers will never get through, until we got the confirmation email,” she recalls.
It wasn’t until April when she got a call from CNN London that she knew she was one of the finalists. Hassan said competing with other award-winning finalists who had more experience was intimidating, since she’d only been in the field for three years.
Along with 27 finalists from 13 countries, Hassan took off to South Africa five days before the awards ceremony to attend workshops, media forums, networking opportunities and do some sightseeing.
“One of the finalists’ coordinators told me ‘the first night people will be a bit shy, the day after it will be less, Friday night will be a big party and everyone will be excited about the big night, Saturday will be a bigger party, and Sunday morning finalists will be sad they’re leaving their new friends,’ and this is exactly how it was,” Hassan says.
The trip also helped her get in touch with her African side as she met journalists and media personas from all over the continent. “I feel as Egyptians we associate ourselves most of the time with the Middle East but not Africa. We only mention we’re Africans at the time of the African Cup of Nations. This trip gave me a chance to meet very interesting people from different African countries and listen to all the stories from their countries,” she says.
The award-winning journalist and blogger has a special message to journalists all over Egypt. “I hope we write/read more about Africa, there are a lot of great stories out there, and we shouldn’t just limit ourselves to the Middle East.”
“The media in general needs to be restructured [nowadays as] only a few channels or agencies are trusted and conduct fair reporting, but others need new measures. Also there are so many opportunities for journalists out there and competitions but I guess we’re always lazy to apply, or think our work doesn’t deserve it. Such competitions are really worth it and are life-changing.”
Hassan will be leaving for New York this September to attend a one-year screenwriting program at the New York Film Academy.
“I only wish I had more time to work here as a journalist after winning, but I already got accepted a long time ago and have to start in September. When I get back I’m hoping to make documentary films besides [working in print].”
This is the 16th annual African Journalist Award, the largest pan-African award on the continent. It was founded in 1995 by Edward Boateng, formerly African Regional Director for Turner Broadcasting System Inc., and the late Mohamed Amin, to recognize and encourage excellence in journalism throughout Africa.
Hassan’s award was presented by Richard Uku Head, External Relations and Communication at the African Development Bank, at a Gala ceremony hosted by CNN and MultiChoice at The Sandton Sun Hotel, Johannesburg, South Africa on June 25.
